Palazzo Bini Torrigiani in Florence, commonly known as ‘La Specola’ due to the presence of an astronomical observatory, is home to the Natural History Museum. During the Early Modern period, this stately residence was inhabited by illustrious figures such as Bernardo Bini, Giovanni Luigi Vitelli, Bianca Cappello, and Pietro Bini. From 1771, the Palazzo, which was purchased by Pietro Leopoldo d’Asburgo-Lorena from the Torrigiani family, became the home of the Physics and Natural History Cabinet. Until 1860, it was continuously renovated and expanded by architects of considerable importance, including Niccolò Gaspero Paoletti, Pasquale Poccianti, and Giuseppe Martelli. Analysis of archival sources has revealed the main construction phases of the Palazzo over the centuries, including the Renaissance interventions that can be attributed to Baccio d’Agnolo.
Book Title
Il palazzo Bini Torrigiani
Book Subtitle
Dalla fondazione medievale alla costituzione del Museo della Specola
Authors
Alessio Caporali
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
336
Publication Year
2025
Copyright Information
© 2025 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0900-7
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0902-1
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0900-7
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0901-4
Series Title
Ricerche. Architettura, Pianificazione, Paesaggio, Design
Series ISSN
2975-0342
Series E-ISSN
2975-0350